Relationships
by Streeper1
Summary: Two couples will go through all the good and the bad in their relationships. WillxTammy DianexKurt
1. Chapter 1

My gosh! It's been forever since I've posted anything on here, but this is my new fanfiction and I'm pretty excited about it! This is Kurt/Diane as well as Will/Tammy.

This story is following their relationships, and not just the one between their lovers but also between siblings, friends, enemies, etc. I'm starting it off a few days before Christmas just because I can. They'll go through the different stages of a relationship, experiencing it all, which may or may not lead to a good ending. Also, I have the 'outline' for this story already done, but I will be watching the show each week and who knows, I might just change everything around. Also, I'm not going to go completely off of what is happening in the show...you'll see what I mean later in the chapters.

Please leave a comment, I sometimes tend to type too fast and make mistakes. If you spot any, please tell me!

Chapter 1

Silly

Diane stood in her office, watching the snow fall outside her window. She took of her red glasses and held them in her hand, continuing to watch the snow. There was a gentle knock on her door and she turned to face Will. Diane smiled softly when she saw him.

"Hey," he simply said and leaned against her doorway. "I'm heading out."

"Right, then I'll see you when you get back," she said and put her glasses back on.

"Ok," Will straightened up, but did not leave just yet. He watched Diane sit behind her desk, "Diane, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Will," she replied and looked back at him. "You better get going. If it keeps snowing like this you'll never get out of Chicago."

"Yeah," he nodded but still did not move, "Do you have any plans?"

She arched her brow and answered in a confused tone, "Yes...but not until this weekend."

"Hey, let's share a bottle of wine," he turned to grab a bottle before Diane had a chance to reply, "a small Christmas celebration." Diane let out a laugh and removed her glasses once more. She knew what Will was up to.

"I'm a big girl, Will, you don't have to babysit me," Diane said as he came back to the office. Will did not reply to her remark. He sat down on her couch and opened the bottle, pouring the white wine into two glasses. Diane stood up and came over to Will, sitting down next to him.

"So what are your plans?" Will asked and handed her a glass.

"I'm going to visit my brother in New York for a few days," Diane said and took a sip of her drink.

"Nothing with your boyfriend?" Will asked.

"Aren't I too old to even have a boyfriend?" Diane laughed.

"All right then, your gentleman friend?"

"I don't know who you're talking about," Diane admitted, although she knew exactly who he meant, but quickly asked Will a question, "What about you?"

"Same as always, heading to my parents place," Will shrugged.

"I meant with your girlfriend," Diane smiled.

"Oh," Will looked to Diane with a smirk, "You're playing that game."

"Does that mean you're not going to answer me?" Diane asked.

"No, I'll answer you, once you answer my question."

"I can't, I don't have a gentlemen friend," Diane said.

"But," Will was now confused, "What about you and McVeigh?"

"What about it?" Diane asked. "He's just another one of my many admirers. You know you're my only love," Diane joked and they shared a laugh.

"I don't believe you," Will smiled and leaned back against the couch. "Everyone knows what happened between you, well everyone who was in court when he testified."

"We were going to have dinner tonight, but he canceled," Diane admitted. "We're not dating."

"Rumors around here say otherwise."

"Rumors around here say you had sex in your office with Tammy," Diane said and Will almost choked on his wine when he heard her.

"It's all silly, isn't it?" Will asked after his breathing became regular again.

"Rumors? Of course they are."

"No, relationships," Will corrected her.

"Oh," Diane nodded and took another sip of her wine, "Yes, they certainly are." There was a moment of silence. Will thought about the past few months, how much he thought he loved Alicia and now how much he knows he loves Tammy, but he is not allowed to fall in love with her. That was their deal. He wanted to change her mind though, make her fall in love with him. Even marry her. They seemed so perfect together. She made him laugh. Yet, they could not be together. Will sighed and drank the rest of his glass.

"I better get going," he said and placed his glass down on the coffee table. "I'll see you in a few days." Will straightened himself out, wished Diane a Merry Christmas, and then left the office.

Diane sat on the couch, slowly finishing her glass. The more she thought about what Will had said, the more she seemed to have missed Kurt. Relationships were never important to her, it was always work that came first. She chose to have the dream career over the dream husband. But, now she had that career and no husband. Her closest thing to a relationship at the moment is Kurt, which really is silly. They hardly have anything in common, yet Diane finds herself tremendously fascinated with him. Every time they are together, professional or otherwise, sparks seem to fly, but at the same time she cannot understand what was happening between them. How can it be possible to be attracted to someone who she completely disagrees with? Several times they had broken it off, then came back together, and then broke it off again. At the moment, Diane was not sure where they stood. Weeks ago, they planned to have this dinner, and then this morning there is a message on her phone. He had other plans. That was it. "I have other plans, sorry." Once again, he always knew how to use as little words as possible and, once again, Diane questioned their entire, silly relationship.

After all of her work was complete and the bottle of wine was half empty, Diane called it a night. She put on her jacket and left the office to her apartment. On the way to the elevator, though, Diane checked her phone and saw somebody had left her a message a half hour ago. It was none other than her cowboy. "Call me." The message seemed simple enough. Diane dialed Kurt's number and waited outside the elevator for him to pick up.

"Yup?" Even how he answered the phone was silly, yet she loved it.

"It's Diane," she said and looked at her watch, it was past nine. "You called?"

"I did," he paused for a moment, "I wanted to apologize for canceling."

"Oh, it's fine," Diane said and stepped into the elevator, "I had things to work on anyway. We'll have dinner when you're in town again." It was not fine though. She thought back again to what Will had said earlier. Relationships were silly. She had looked forward to spending time with Kurt, but could never say to him it upset her that he canceled. It would be ridiculous to do that.

"Okay, I'll call you soon," he said so gently and then hung up. Diane put her phone away and walked to her car. Not only was their relationship silly, but the fact that she was having such a relationship at this time in her life was silly. It was not suppose to be this difficult to find love. Her mother had always remarked that Diane was not getting younger and should find a husband before it was too late. Was it too late? It was too late to have children and even now, her career still came first. So, was it too late to search for love? Marriage was never something that Diane was attracted to, but she was not a full cold blooded woman. Even if she was not keen on marriage, Diane still wished to spend her life with a man who would hold her at night and listen to her go on and on about politics. She had that with Kurt. They spent a beautiful night together and he was always there to listen to her, but then why was it difficult to be with him? How could she ever be in love with him? She did want love, but was Kurt the right person for her?

Diane drove home through the snow storm, which seemed to have gotten worse as the night progressed. She sighed while opening the door to and walking into her empty apartment. She switched on the lights and looked around. The apartment suddenly seemed to be very large for one person, larger than usual. The thought left her mind when she heard Justice barking and running over to her. At least she did have him. Diane smiled and picked up the little mutt. The rest of the night passed quickly as she opened a bottle of wine and had dinner, then went to bed with a good book. It was certainty not what she had in mind for that night, but after being on her own for so long it was comfortable and relaxing to spend her evenings like this.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Game

Will drove home to grab his suitcases, and then headed to his parents place. They lived an hour outside of Chicago, but as the snow continued to fall Will worried more and more if he would make it there. After a half an hour drive and hardly making any progress, he pulled over at a hotel and decided to wait until morning. Will walked inside and up to the front desk. He checked in, and then left to his room for the night. On the way, he thought about Tammy and their relationship. He had never thought until now that he would become the type that wanted more than just sex. In college, if a woman wanted nothing but a physical relationship it would have been a dream come true. But now, in his forties, Will was ready to settle down and have a calmer life. Of course, with his taste in women it looked as though that would never happen. Alicia was married. She loved Peter, but he was ready to ruin their marriage to have an affair. In the end, he knew the affair would have led to nothing, only pain and chaos. That did not stop him though, not until Tammy came into his life. With Tammy, it felt good, but there was still pain and chaos; maybe not for her, but certainly for him. There had to be a way to get her to change. Will pulled out his phone and dialed her number.

"Hello you sexy beast," Tammy said. He let out laugh.

"Hey, what are you doing tonight?" he asked.

"Depends, who's calling?" she joked.

"Come on, really what are you up to?"

"Oh...nothing important," she paused for a moment, "Is this a booty call?"

"You make it sound so dirty," Will rolled his eyes. He made it to the door of his room and walked inside.

"It is dirty," Tammy said, "But I like it. I can be at your place in ten minutes."

"I'm not at my place, I'm at a hotel."

"Kinky, which one?" Will smiled, he loved how straightforward she was. He gave her the address of the hotel and then hung up the phone. Will looked around at the room and sat his suitcases down. It was nothing special. Will laid down on the bed and watched basketball with a beer he found in the mini fridge. He wanted here with a bit of excitement, but Will knew what would happen tonight. She would come to the hotel, they'd spend the night together, and then she would be gone the next day and he would head to his parents. Same as usual, they would spend some time together, and then go separate directions as though it meant nothing. It was getting a bit too childish for him. But she certainly did not think the same.

More than half an hour past, and then there was a knock on the door. Will got off the bed, maneuvering his way to the door. Tammy stood there in a little black dress.

"Mr. Gardner?" she spoke in an airy tone. Will smirked, she wanted to play a game and he would go along with it, although the game was beginning to get old.

"Miss...I'm sorry, what is your name again?" he asked and stepped aside to let her in. Tammy walked into the hotel room and looked around.

"Not too bad," she shrugged. "I thought a lawyer could afford better though."

"It was the first place I found," he explained and walked over to her, putting a "please do not disturb" sign on the door first, though. Will placed his hands on her waist, standing behind her. "I like this dress. You've never worn this for me before."

"I like it too," Tammy said and turned her head to the side, "wait until you see what's on underneath." Will smirked and started to undress her. Yes, it would be like any other night for the couple and, yes, Will wanted more. He will wait though, just a bit longer. Someday, hopefully sooner than later, Tammy will fall in love with him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Important

Around seven the next morning, Kurt stood outside of the airport, trying to grab a taxi. His flight was to leave at nine, but due to the weather he was not sure when he would be leaving. Kurt got the attention of a driver and jumped into the cab. He should go back to the hotel and have a drink by himself, but instead Kurt gave the man Diane's address. He had only ever been to Diane's place once before, only because he insisted to pick her up one night instead of meeting at a restaurant. He did not call her or send her a message, she was probably asleep anyway.

Kurt paid the cab driver, and then walked into the building. Even the building was very much like Diane. It was chic, but still had a classic touch to it. He had never thought he would end up liking a woman who was considered chic. He was country and down to earth and had always pictured marrying a woman who was the same. At the least he thought he would have been with a republican, and yet it was Diane who came into his life. Kurt made his way to her door and knocked three times. No answer. Like he expected, she was most likely in bed.

He was not sure why he was here anyway. Kurt was given new evidence to a case he had been working on and it took longer than he expected to review everything again. He canceled dinner to spend the day working, but wished he never did. Kurt had to make it up to her before leaving. He knocked again, but still no one answered. Kurt took out his phone and texted her. "Hey." He leaned against the wall and waited for a response.

Maybe this was not the way to make up for last night, but it was the first thing that came to him. Sure, Diane would most likely feel as though he is intruding on her since he did not bother to call beforehand. And she would probably not be happy with him seeing her with no make-up on or having her hair fixed, but really he could care less. He wanted to see her. That was why he stood outside her door. Kurt cared about Diane, even if she was a chic democrat. He had feelings for her which meant the make-up and the politics and the fashion did not matter to him. What mattered to Kurt was Diane's laugh. He wanted to see her smile and know that when she does answer the door, surprised to see him and horrified with the way she looks, Diane will accept Kurt's apology and mean it, unlike last night. During their phone call last night, he knew very well she was not pleased with him and he knew he had to make it up to her. What matters to him is knowing she will not be hurt or disappointed once he leaves today.

His phone rang and he knew Diane was calling him. Kurt answered his phone, "Yep?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Beautiful

"You texted me?" she asked. Diane woke up to her phone ringing on her nightstand. It was not the most pleasant way to be woken up, especially when all Kurt said was "Hey." At this moment, Diane could have murdered him.

"I did," he said, taking notice to Diane's tone.

"And?" she asked, waiting to hear an answer.

"What are you doing right now?" he asked.

"I was sleeping," Diane tried to hold back a yawn.

"My flight was canceled, I thought I'd come see you. You're on the fifth floor right?"

"Yes," Diane answered and began to worry now. "Where are you?" she begged for him to be at the airport.

"Outside your door. Mind letting me in?" Kurt asked. Diane did not answer for a moment. She was too surprised.

"Y-yes, I'll...give me a minute," Diane hung up the phone. She stood up and put on a robe, then quickly looked at herself in the mirror. She ran her hand through her hair in an attempt to fix it, but knew there was no hope. She would have to suck it up and let Kurt see her in pajamas and no make-up. Even the thought of this was terrifying. Diane sighed as she continued to look in the mirror. She was exhausted, over worked, stressed, and it was all visible. Of course, make-up was usually the simple solution to hide this. Now, Kurt stood outside her door awaiting her to let him inside. After one more moment, Diane left downstairs and up to the front door. She put her hand on the doorknob, paused, and then opened it. "Good morning."

"Morning," he smiled and walked inside her place.

"Did you have breakfast?" she asked, just waiting for him to comment on how she looked.

"Yep, just thought I'd stop by for a few minutes," he said and turned to face her.

"Oh?" Diane shut the door and looked over at him.

"To apologize."

"You did that last night," Diane reminded him, not moving away from the door.

"I wanted to apologize correctly...and explain," Kurt came over to Diane, "You look beautiful," he added and tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. Diane simply rolled her eyes and smiled gently.

"But you don't have to explain. I understand. Work?" Diane walked into her living room and sat down.

"Yup," he nodded, following right behind her. Diane did not understand why Kurt was really here. He apologized over the phone and she explained twice now that she was fine with it. Yet, here he stood in her living room...and she had no make-up on. It was more than just silly. Kurt sat down on the couch next to her.

"You look beautiful," he said.

"You're beginning to repeat yourself," she smiled.

"It's true though,"

"I would look better if you called first." Diane then finally asked, "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see you."

"We could have had brunch," Diane then added, "of course we could have had dinner last night if you really wanted to see me." There, she said it. In translation, she told Kurt she did not forgive him.

He smiled and kissed her gently. The fireworks went off. Diane kissed him back and then kissed him again...and again. She forgave him for canceling. Those sparks were very powerful. At least he was here now. That was important. And Diane knew where they stood in their relationship. At least, for right now she knew. But Diane did not want Kurt to leave this morning. She did not want him to walk out of her apartment and go to the country. Will may have been right, the relationship was silly, but for right now she was all right with silly. She wanted love and he could give it to her. And sure, next week they could be back to arguing with each other, but she did not mind. Kurt was simply glad to see Diane smile again. He knew they would be all right.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" he mumbled against Diane's lips. She replied with a nod and kissed her cowboy again. Diane could feel Kurt's arms wrap around her. She had forgotten how great if felt for his arms to be around her. Even the fact that she did not have make-up on was no longer bothering her. But, before she knew it, Kurt broke away from her, his eyes on the clock.

"I should go," he said, "My flight was only delayed for two hours." Diane nodded without a response. Like she told Will the other day, she was a big girl. She could handle this. Besides, it was not the end of the world simply because Kurt was leaving to be with his family for Christmas. They both stood up and Diane walked him to the door.

"I'll call," Kurt said as he walked out the door.

"Ok," Diane nodded, "Merry Christmas Mr. McVeigh." He smiled to her, and then started for the elevator. Diane shut the door and let out a small laugh. She had no idea why, but it seemed everything Kurt did made her smile. Diane walked back to her bedroom, but looked in the mirror first. She examined her face, remembering the absence of her make-up. "I look Beautiful?" She shook her head as she remembered Kurt's comment.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you guys for the lovely comments!

Chapter 5

Surprises

Will woke up in the morning and looked over at the clock. It was seven. He took his time to sit up, only to find himself alone in the hotel room. Tammy left while he was asleep, just like he predicted. Will made a cup of coffee and watched the news, slowly waking up. As he watched the television, Tammy was still on his mind: he could smell the perfume she put on last night and the feeling of her lips still lingered against his. Last night was just as wonderful as any other time they spent together, but there was one difference. Will was in love. The Will Gardner, the man who has been single all his life, never getting too deep into a relationship, is in love. He only thought he was in love once before, with Alicia, but it was not the same feeling. He realized Alicia was the one that got away. That was all. Unfortunately, now the woman he knew he was in love with was not the one that got away, but the one would go away if he stepped over the line. Will shook the thought from his mind for the moment. He made a few phone calls dealing with work, and then changed and left downstairs. Will walked up to the front desk and checked out of the hotel.

"Mr. Gardner, this was left for you," the woman behind the counter smiled and handed Will an envelope.

"Thanks," he looked down at the item. There was nothing written on the front. He stuffed it into his pocket and left to his car, starting the long drive to his parent's place. Half an hour on the road, he made a few more phone calls, pulled a few strings, and was able to send Tammy a Chanel bracelet which would be delivered to her today, a Christmas present to help tell her how he felt. But after he hung up the phone, Will thought maybe that was too much. He wondered if he went too far. Tammy would not hesitate to dump him right on the spot if she thought it was too much, and Will knew this. He thought about canceling the order...but then what could he do? Most women would think a piece of expensive jewelry would be the perfect gift, but not Tammy. He had to give her something personal, but nothing friendly. The last thing he wanted was to give her a token of their friendship. After several more phone calls, Will found a way to solve everything, or at least he hoped he did.

It was supposed to be the other way around. Usually it is the man who could not commit, but here he is practically begging to be with Tammy, the woman who could only commit to a . What was it about her that made him go crazy? He knew the answer to that, he did not know the answer as to why he was attracted to women who were hard to get. Then, Will remembered the envelope had had received earlier. He pulled it out of his coat pocket and opened it. Inside was a short letter. Will quickly read it while driving: _Sorry to sneak out this morning, have a meeting at eight. Let's have more fun soon. Love, Tammy. _

Will smirked and put the note away. This was very different of her. Usually, there was never a note when she left. And she certainly never apologized for leaving quickly. And how she signed it was almost shocking. Maybe Tammy was changing, but one thing Will loved so much about her is that he was never quite sure what she was thinking. He always thought he had her figured out, and then she did something like this. In a way, it gave him hope.

Before he realized it, Will was pulling into his parent's neighborhood. He passed several houses, all the same, before parking his car in front of one. Will looked up at the home and remembered when they first moved here. He was thirteen and his father's law firm was in debt. His father had to choose between leaving the firm and losing almost everything or staying with it and in the end lose everything. It was difficult for her father to leave behind his life work, but in the end he made the right decision. So, the family packed up and left their fancy Chicago home to this simple one. Will decided at that age to never be a humble business man like his father.

He moved his eyes away from the house to a red van parked in the driveway. His sister arrived. But, there was one thing missing: his brother's car. Of course, it was not surprising to Will that his little brother was late. Will got out of his car and walked up to the front door. Before having a chance to open it, the door burst open and two kids ran outside wearing thick coats.

"Stay in the front yard!" A woman shouted to them as she walked to the front door. "Will?" she smiled and then folded her arms, "you're late." The woman looked exhausted, probably from dealing with two young kids.

"Nice to see you too, Catherine," he rolled his eyes and hugged her.

"Why didn't you call and say you'd be late? Mom panicked," she said, returning the hug.

"I'm here now," Will replied and walked further into the house.

"So what's new with my big brother?" she asked, watching the kids for a moment, and then followed Will. "How's work?" Will shrugged as he came into the kitchen and took off his coat.

"Nothing, nothing's new."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Family

An hour after Kurt left, Diane stood in her bathroom, looking at herself in a full length mirror. She had on pinstripe pants with a lapis, silk blouse. Diane fixed her hair and make-up, and then stepped into a pair of black heels. If only Kurt could have arrived now. If he found her beautiful earlier, he would think she was drop dead gorgeous now. Diane smiled to herself, satisfied with the way she looked, and left her apartment to the office.

Almost the entire office building was empty except for a few lawyers trying to finish up their paperwork before leaving to go home to their families. Diane, though, did not have anybody to go home to. She planned to spend the day at the office, working. Lockhart, Gardner, and Bond is her family. When Diane realized that, she also realized how depressing that was. She had her brother and niece in New York, but Diane was not leaving until tomorrow. And besides, she had work to get done, somebody had to do it. It could have waited until after the weekend...but she was not going to let important papers sit around. That would not be right.

Diane had on her red glasses and read over a few documents, taking notes as she did so. She thought about Kurt. He would soon be with his family, having a great time with them. Diane did not know much about his family. She was pretty sure he once mentioned a sister, but could not be positive. Come to think of it, Diane never did tell Kurt about her family or much about her life at all. At dinner, they would talk about work and politics. They were so intimate with each other, but without being personal.

She thought about his family again, wondering what they would think of her. The thought of Kurt mentioning he was having a relationship with a democratic lawyer made her laugh. She figured he would not say anything, though. They were not seeing each other. A few phone calls and dinners could not be considered as dating. Of course after this morning, Diane thought maybe he actually would tell them. Either way, it made her smile. Diane looked down at the papers on her desk and tried to go back to work, but it was impossible now. She decided for once in her life to stop working and go to New York a bit earlier than expected. Diane picked up her cell phone and made a phone call to her brother, informing him of her decision.

After changing her flight to that night, Diane quickly headed home to pack her bags. She took out her Louis Vuitton suitcase and packed her clothes, make-up, several pairs of shoes, and whatever else she needed. It surprised her that everything fit along with the Christmas presents. Just as Diane started downstairs again, the doorbell rang. She was sure she was not expecting anybody and knew Kurt would not have come back. Diane put her things down in the living room, and then answered the door.

"Are you Miss Lockhart?" A young man asked. He was dressed in a very expensive suit and held a small, brown package.

"Yes," she nodded. "And you are?"

"Mr. Collins. A friend of mine asked me to hand deliver this to you," he said and handed Diane the package. "And he would like me to also wish you a Merry Christmas." Diane looked down at the package and smiled.

"Thank you," she looked up at him again, and then left back into her apartment. Diane shut the door and started to open the package as she walked to her kitchen. Inside was a smaller box, a black one with the words "Chanel" printed on the front in silver. Her heart almost stopped beating. There was a card tapped to it which said _I know we didn't agree to get each other gifts, but I thought you deserved this. _The only person Diane thought this could be from was Kurt, of course the only gift he had ever given her was a book and the card had only his last name on it. Now, he bought her Chanel and did not even bother to sign the card? This confused her but she did not think much of it. Diane opened up the box and her mouth dropped. Inside was a silver, cuff bracelet with a detailed flower design. She loved it, but she was also angry with herself. Diane did not bother to give Kurt anything. Like it said in the note, they did not agree to buying gifts. It was not said in words, but it was not brought up in conversation either. She put the bracelet on and could not believe how much she was in love with the piece of jewelry.

Diane decided to keep the bracelet on and then left to the airport.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Boring

Tammy left her meeting with very little satisfaction. She was not in the mood to sit with ten other people and listen to a pep talk at seven in the morning. There was no point in these meetings anyway. Almost everybody in that room was yawning and secretly checking emails and messages on their phones while her boss spoke. It seemed like they were in High School again, all bored out of their minds with the teacher's lectures. Tammy, though, had nothing to do but sit and listen. There was nothing happening in the world of sports at seven in the morning. She thought about texting Will, but remembered he was on the road and would not answer. At one point, she simply looked through her missed calls to see if any of them were from Will. Once she was out of the meeting and in her office, Tammy was about to call him, but stopped herself. Why would she call him just to talk? That would be boring and probably awkward. And besides, he might get the wrong idea.

Their relationship was fun, but Tammy was beginning to worry. She thought Will was still in love with someone else, but he had been giving her a lot of attention, more than usually actually. It was exciting to be with him, though, and she did not want him to ruin it and fall in love with her.

Of course, last night she did consider backing out of it now, while it is still fun. She was beginning to worry about herself, not many women would drive forty-five minutes through a snow storm for a booty call. And why did she ever leave that note for me? Tammy left his place several times in the early hours of the morning, but this time she felt the need to leave him a note explaining why. This was not her.

It was not like she was afraid of men or falling in love; she just did not want anyone. Tammy never was one to flaunt herself in front of a man or fell the need to be taken care of. Even in high school, she refused to date because it was not interesting to her. It was not her thing to be over emotional and go through all the crap, just for it to end miserably. Her sister had been that way and now she is stuck in a boring marriage with a boring guy. All relationships end sooner or later, and it is never a happy ending. Maybe, if Tammy ended it with Will now, the ending will not be as terrible as it will later.

Tammy knew what her choices were. She could either stay with Will until he fell in love with her, and then bolt out the door and never see him again or walk away now and hopefully keep him as a friend. Tammy knew which one she would do. This all sounded heartless to her, and maybe it was a little cruel, but Tammy knew she cared for Will enough to let him down now instead of breaking his heart later.

She started putting her things away to leave when someone knocked on her office door.

"Tammy?" It was one of her co-workers.

"Yeah?" she looked up at him. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to an envelope in his hands.

"It was left for you," he said and handed the envelope to Tammy. She ripped it open and pulled out two tickets to a Chicago Bulls basketball game. Front row seats. Tammy smiled and took out the note. _You're right, let's have some more fun. _She rolled her eyes and decided she would give Will a call later tonight.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Hope

Diane picked up her bags and started through security. She was never keen to flying, but the trip was not terrible and at least it was over now. Diane looked around for a familiar face as she stood in line. There was no sight of her brother. It only took a few minutes for her to go through security and once she had her bags back, Diane walked around, looking around again. Then, she spotted him on his cell phone, his back towards her. This was not surprising. Diane walked over to her brother and stepped into his view. Without saying goodbye, Richard hung up the phone and hugged his sister.

"My god, you've gotten taller," he laughed.

"You're a jerk," she rolled her eyes and hugged him back. "Where's Lucy?"

"At the apartment with Natasha," Richard said and took Diane's luggage from her. He noticed the bracelet she had on and took her arm, lifting it up to get a better view of the piece of jewelry. "How much did that cost you?"

"It was a gift," Diane said and took her arm back.

"From?"

"None of your business," she was not prepared to tell him about Kurt. "How is Lucy?" Diane asked, walking out of the airport and abruptly changing the subject.

"She's all right," he smirked, but said no more for now. "She wants to go to England this summer with a group of friends, I said no."

"And how's work?"

"It's actually really well. I just won a four million dollar case," he smiled. "And we got to keep one million."

"Almost as good as my thirty five million dollar case," Diane loved to tease him about that. The two siblings had always been competing against each other ever since they became lawyers. They reached Richard's car and began the drive to his New York apartment. Diane had never loved New York. She was not sure why, but Chicago was always more of her kind of place whereas Richard could not wait to get out of Illinois to the Big City. He was quickly hired and became a partner by the time he was thirty five. Their father was very proud of him. He was pleased with Diane's work, but was not impressed. It might be because she started working years before Richard and yet did not reach partner until her forties.

The drive was not long and soon, Diane and Richard were walking up a flight of stairs to his apartment. He opened the door and let Diane walk inside. Diane barely had time to put her luggage down when she was surprised with a hug from a teenage girl.

"Aunt D, thank god you're here! You have to explain to Dad that England is a perfectly safe place." Lucy had talked so quickly that Diane was caught off guard.

"Welcome to New York," Richard said and walked into his living room.

"Why don't you tell me about school?" Diane asked, changing the subject.

"Diane, nice to see you again," Natasha said. Diane looked up and noticed Natasha standing near the dining room.

"You too," Diane said to her sister-in-law. For some reason, Diane to this day could not understand Natasha. She was quiet and had always looked uncomfortable anywhere they went. Diane wondered if Natasha was always this way, even if she was not it stilled bothered Diane. Even now, as Natasha stood up straight, her hands folded together in front of her, she did not look pleased. If anything, she looked frightened.

"I just finished setting the table a few minutes ago," Natasha said and left to the dining room.

The family made their way into the dining room and sat down to dinner. Richard, Diane, and Lucy laughed and ate the entire evening, sharing stories and telling jokes. Diane could not help herself but admit to Lucy that Richard went to England when he was only sixteen, which did not make Lucy one bit happy. Thankfully though, Richard was able to change the subject. Natasha would join in every so often, but Diane noticed she was awfully quiet. She was never one to be the life of the party, but it was only the four of them. As the evening drew to an end, Lucy and Natasha headed to bed, leaving Diane and Richard alone to clean up. Diane sat in the kitchen, playing with her bracelet while she watched Richard clean the dishes. He looked over at her and rolled his eyes.

"Are you going to tell me who the bracelet is from?" he asked and turned back to the sink. Diane did not answer him. She thought about her and Kurt. Every time she saw Richard, she could not help but think about how successful he had become and how quickly he gained that success whereas it took years and years of hard work and hard decisions for Diane to get where she was. He has it all, the perfect job, the perfect daughter, and the perfect wife. She only had the job, which rarely seemed perfect. Diane always believed there was no way of having the perfect career and marriage, but then all she had to think about was her brother and it gave her a bit of hope. Maybe she will soon have it all. Diane looked at the bracelet again. "Earth to Diane?"

"What?" she asked, turning her attention back to Richard.

"The bracelet, who's it from?" he asked once again.

"It's," she sighed, "from a gentleman that I'm seeing."

"Really?" Richard said. "Who is he?"

"His name is Kurt McVeigh," Diane decided she might as well tell him everything now and get it all over with.

"Terrible last night, but I can get over it."

"He's a ballistics expert."

"So he knows how to handle big guns," Richard smirked and arched his eyebrows. "That's always a good trait."

"He's a Republican," she added, ignoring his childish remark.

"Oh dear God."

"And a member of the Tea Party."

"Diane, if you were that desperate all you needed to do was call me," he said. "I know plenty of sane men that would date you." Diane tried not to laugh. "You can't just date a man because of his good taste in jewelry."

"He's sweet and very intelligent," Diane replied. Richard let out a sigh and shook his head.

"Bad Diane, you are a Lockhart," Richard said, but there was a small smile on his face.

"I know, I know. Three generations and not a single Republican amongst them," she rolled her eyes. Before Kurt, Diane was proud of that remark, "But there's no need for you to worry, I'm not about to run off to Reno and marry him."

"Why?"

"Because of work," she said, "because it's not possible to have the perfect career and love life."

"I don't remember reading that in a law book," Richard said. Diane shrugged.

"Out of everybody I know, none of them have it all," Diane said, "except you, of course." This is when Richard let out a sighed and the smile on his face disappeared. "What? Did I saw something wrong?"

"No, no," Richard shook his head. "Natasha and I are separating."

"What?" Diane looked at her brother confused. "How? Everything seemed normal during dinner."

"Lucy doesn't know yet," Richard said. "She's going to move out after Christmas." He seemed so calm, as though Natasha was no more than a friend.

"What happened?" Diane asked.

"She was...tired of it, I guess," Richard shrugged, "tired of everything, which I can't blame her for. There's been a lot going on at work and so I haven't been home much. I guess after a few years, it finally got to her."

"And you're all right with this?" Diane asked.

"Yeah, honestly our marriage was over years ago," Richard shrugged again. "I'm going to head to bed. Leave the dishes; I'll do them in the morning." Diane nodded and watched Richard leave the kitchen. She sighed and looked down at the bracelet again. Suddenly, all the hope seemed to be gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Kids

Will was relaxing on the couch with a beer, chatting to his father and watching football. His mother was washing dishes by herself in the kitchen, Will offered to help, but she turned it down.

"Do you think Jack is lost?" Will asked his father. There was not even a phone call from his brother explaining why he is late.

"He's probably fine," His father shrugged. "Did you try calling him?"

"I texted him a few hours ago, but never got an answer," Will replied. Catherine came downstairs and sat down next to Will with a huff.

"My god it took two hours of reading to make those kids fall asleep," Catherine sighed and took Will's beer from him. He decided not to say anything. Ever since Catherine had twins, and then shortly after became a widow, Will could never complain about anything she did.

"Will, when are you going to have children?" his mother came out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, Will," Catherine smiled. "When are you going to have kids?" Will only rolled his eyes and took his drink back from Catherine.

"Claire, leave the kid alone."

"I'm just curious, Walter. I mean...Will aren't you even dating someone?" she asked, leaning against the doorway. "What about that partner of yours? Diane?" Will could not hold back from laughing, an image of Diane and him getting married flashed into his mind.

"I hate to break it to you, but I don't date business partners," he said, trying to control the laughing.

"Maybe he's just more into someone like Mr. Bond," Catherine smirked.

"Well, I'm heading to bed. Tomorrow I'll introduce you to the Anderson's daughter," Claire said and left upstairs. Walter then tossed Will the remote.

"I'm heading to bed too, Good night." He said.

"Night," both Will and Catherine replied. Once their parents were out of sighed, Catherine turned to face her brother.

"So, who are you dating?" she asked.

"I'm not dating anybody," Will shrugged.

"Oh please, in the middle of dinner you got up and left the room because of a phone call?" Catherine folded her arms. "I couldn't hear much, but her name sounded like Tammy."

"It was work related," Will answered.

"Oh? Do you usually talk about basketball games with clients?" she asked.

"What is the point of leaving the room for privacy when you have a nosey sister," Will laughed and then admitted, "All right, I'm seeing a girl."

"Oh? A girl? Is she older than eighteen?" Catherine joked.

"It's Tammy Linnata," he sighed. Catherine's eyes widened.

"Didn't you date her sister?" she asked and Will nodded. "That's disgusting!"

"It's not going to go anywhere, she doesn't want to fall in love," Will said.

"That's strange," Catherine replied. "I don't care what anybody says, every girl wants to fall in love."

"You don't remember Tammy then," Will laughed.

"Well, if it doesn't work out there's always Diane," Catherine smiled. "Or the Anderson's daughter, but trust me after you meet her you'll be running to Diane. Why doesn't she want to fall in love?"

"Because that's when the fun stops," Will explained. He never understood it, but Tammy repeated it to him every now and then. Catherine obviously did not understand it either.

"If she was at all smart, then she'd know it's not until you fall in love that the fun starts," Catherine smiled. Will thought about what his sister said. It made sense to him, but obviously it was the other way around for Tammy. So, who was right? Will said goodnight to his sister and left to his bedroom. He could not imagine why Tammy was so strongly against love. Maybe once he figured that out, he could figure out a way to change her views. Just as Will walked into his bedroom, his cell phone went off.

"Hello?" he sighed into the phone.

"Will...I have a problem," said a familiar tone.

"Jack, where are you?" Will asked.

"Police station...I...I'll need a lawyer," Jack sighed.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 7

Boring

Tammy left her meeting with very little satisfaction. She was not in the mood to sit with ten other people and listen to a pep talk at seven in the morning. There was no point in these meetings anyway. Almost everybody in that room was yawning and secretly checking emails and messages on their phones while her boss spoke. It seemed like they were in High School again, all bored out of their minds with the teacher's lectures. Tammy, though, had nothing to do but sit and listen. There was nothing happening in the world of sports at seven in the morning. She thought about texting Will, but remembered he was on the road and would not answer. At one point, she simply looked through her missed calls to see if any of them were from Will. Once she was out of the meeting and in her office, Tammy was about to call him, but stopped herself. Why would she call him just to talk? That would be boring and probably awkward. And besides, he might get the wrong idea.

Their relationship was fun, but Tammy was beginning to worry. She thought Will was still in love with someone else, but he had been giving her a lot of attention, more than usually actually. It was exciting to be with him, though, and she did not want him to ruin it and fall in love with her.

Of course, last night she did consider backing out of it now, while it is still fun. She was beginning to worry about herself, not many women would drive forty-five minutes through a snow storm for a booty call. And why did she ever leave that note for me? Tammy left his place several times in the early hours of the morning, but this time she felt the need to leave him a note explaining why. This was not her.

It was not like she was afraid of men or falling in love; she just did not want anyone. Tammy never was one to flaunt herself in front of a man or fell the need to be taken care of. Even in high school, she refused to date because it was not interesting to her. It was not her thing to be over emotional and go through all the crap, just for it to end miserably. Her sister had been that way and now she is stuck in a boring marriage with a boring guy. All relationships end sooner or later, and it is never a happy ending. Maybe, if Tammy ended it with Will now, the ending will not be as terrible as it will later.

Tammy knew what her choices were. She could either stay with Will until he fell in love with her, and then bolt out the door and never see him again or walk away now and hopefully keep him as a friend. Tammy knew which one she would do. This all sounded heartless to her, and maybe it was a little cruel, but Tammy knew she cared for Will enough to let him down now instead of breaking his heart later.

She started putting her things away to leave when someone knocked on her office door.

"Tammy?" It was one of her co-workers.

"Yeah?" she looked up at him. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to an envelope in his hands.

"It was left for you," he said and handed the envelope to Tammy. She ripped it open and pulled out two tickets to a Chicago Bulls basketball game. Front row seats. Tammy smiled and took out the note. _You're right, let's have some more fun. _She rolled her eyes and decided she would give Will a call later tonight.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Respect

Diane's phone went off in the very early hours of the morning. This was the second time this week she was woken up by a phone, and she was not enjoying it. Diane struggled to sit up in bed and answer her phone, but somehow she managed to do it. The clock read it was past three AM.

"Yes?" Diane yawned into the phone. If it was Kurt again then she was ready to yell at him no matter how tired she felt.

"Diane, we have a situation," She was not prepared to hear Will calling for her.

"What happened?" she asked, slowly waking up more. Diane knew Will would only call her if it was important.

"It's my brother, he was arrested," Will said. Diane did not want to feel rude, but she was not sure how this was a matter that involved her. "Did you leave yet?"

"I left yesterday," Diane sighed. "What is he charged with?"

"Second degree murder," She could hear Will struggling to say the words, "I can't defend him, Diane I need you to." Diane understood why he could not go through with it. Lawyers who are closely connected to clients rarely stand a chance in court. Relationships and careers never mix well.

"How bad does it look?" Diane asked.

"So far? Not good," Will continued, "There's motive, witnesses of a threat, he was drunk at the time. The police are working on getting me the rest of the information."

"Get ahold of Kalinda, I'll leave today," Diane hung up the phone and ran a hand through her hair. She sighed deeply and leaned against the head board of the bed. She had respect for Will, but this was becoming too much. She would have to leave her family on Christmas Eve, the only family she has and rarely visits, to help Will's brother. Diane was not pleased at all. And, now she could never be able to fall back to sleep with all of this on her head. After a few moments, Diane climbed out of bed and headed downstairs to Richard's kitchen. She looked at the time and wondered if Kurt was up. She figured it was too early, and besides he was with family, it would not be a good time to call him. But, Diane wanted to talk to someone. She had too many emotions and thoughts bottled up in her. Her feelings for Kurt, her fight at work, and now this new situation was all on her shoulders, and it was starting to become too much. But, she was Diane Lockhart. Ever since college, she has learned how to deal with stress. Most of her life were filled with stressful times, this was just another difficult time but she will get through it, somehow she always does.

Diane made herself a pot of coffee and watched the news while she continued to think about Will's brother. She was not even sure what his name was...Alex? No, that was not right. She was positive it started with an "A" though. Maybe it was Michael. That sounded right. Diane was not sure how she was going to defend him though. So far, there was a threat and he was drunk. A jury was not going to enjoy hearing that, or feel sympathy towards him.

Slowly, the day continued on and it was eight in the morning. Diane had already dressed and purchased her plane ticket. Now, all she had to do was wait for Richard and explain why she would be leaving a day earlier. Diane stood in his kitchen with another cup of coffee when Richard came in, still in his pajamas.

"What are you doing up?" he asked while pouring himself a cup of coffee, but his eyes were on Diane

"Will called," Diane said, "He needs me back in Chicago."

"Today?" Richard asked, looking at his sister. She replied with a nod. "That's silly. What does he need you for?"

"His brother was arrested for murder," Diane sighed. "They're pushing for a quick trial."

"Did he do it?" Richard asked and leaned against the counter. Diane was glad he did not begin an argument with her and she knew why, Richard knew the life of a lawyer a little too well.

"I don't know, probably not," Diane took a sip of her drink. "I'm sorry to leave like this."

"It's fine, want me to give you a ride to the airport?" he asked and once again Diane replied with a nod.

"The plane leaves at noon."

"Then I better get dressed."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Nothing

Will paced the small room as he continued to make more phone calls while Jack leaned against the wall across from him. Already, Will talked to their family and was able to have Kalinda look at the crime scene, but it was not enough. He needed information from the police and they had not provided him with anything yet. For hours, he and Jack went over every detail of the previous night. The day progressed, and they were not getting anywhere. Jack should not even be arrested. He could not have done this. Sure he had gotten into a few fights before, but nothing as serious as murder. But the police are so sure it was him. They have everything they need to arrest him. Could Jack have done it? Will shook the idea from his head, but found himself still wondering. He was drunk, he could have not remembered. This was ridiculous, of course he was innocent. He had to be.

Finally, around noon, a cop came into the room and handed over all the information as to why Jack was arrested. Will sat down and flipped through everything, processing the information, looking for an error. Jack waited patiently.

"They didn't find the weapon yet," Will said and looked at his younger brother, "That's good." He turned back to the file, "And there are no witnesses or cameras showing the murder, so far. He was found outside his apartment a few minutes after the death, neighbors heard several shots and then called the police. There was no forceful entrance which means Andrew allowed the murderer into his home, so it was somebody he knew."

"Can they arrest me without a finding the weapon?" Jack asked.

"Do you own a gun?" Will asked.

"Yeah, but...I lost it."

"You lost it?" Will let out a hollow laugh and closed the file. This made everything worse. "How do you lose a gun?"

"It was just a small handgun. I kept it at the house in my desk, but I guess I took it out one day and...I lost it."

"Oh my god," Will shook his head and quickly took out his phone, texting Kalinda.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to find your gun," Will explained, "What kind of bullets did it take?"

"I don't remember."

"Remember," Will put his phone away. "If we show that your gun is not the murder weapon, then we can prove you're not related to this murder. How well did you know this guy?"

"Not too well, we only worked together. I don't even know where he lives," Jack said and sat down. "Well, lived...Did you tell mom?"

"Yes," Will nodded.

"And how did she react?" Jack sighed.

"The same as all of us, she's shocked," Will looked over at his brother. "You didn't do this. You're not going to go to jail. She knows that."

"I'm not an idiot Will, I've heard you talk about your cases. Even the innocent are guilty."

"Don't worry about it, all right? Kalinda is looking for your gun and the real murderer, I'm going to have an expert look over the crime scene, and Diane will defend you."

"Diane? I don't want Diane I want you," Jack said. Will shook his head, he knew Jack would not understand why he could not do this.

"No, I will help but I can't defend you. Diane is the best lawyer at our firm...besides me," Will smirked, "You're in good hands."

"I'm going to jail," Jack slumped in his seat and looked up at the ceiling. The day slowly went on and there was hardly a word from Kalinda or Diane. Will had to get out of the police station. He told Jack he was going to check out the crime scene, and then left to his car. On the way there, Will made a phone call.

"Hello?" Will felt relief when he heard Tammy's voice answer the phone.

"Where are you?" he asked and got into his car.

"At my apartment, where are you?" she asked.

"On the way to your apartment," Will smiled and started the car.

"I thought you were at your parents."

"Change of plans, I'll tell you when I get there." He hung up and left to Tammy's place. If there was anyone that could get his problems off of his mind, it was Tammy.


End file.
